Some of you said Gammes don't turn, but...

[fisheater]

This book seems to this Midwesterner as a great guide to the Northeast. I plan on loading the truck and heading East this winter

[Woodserson]

What does this mean!

Forgive the dumb question, but we’re thinking about coming to the US/ Canada this winter, and I’m actually curious about what is and isn’t possible. Is there anything preventing you from stopping the car and slithering into a wild-looking valley in North America?

No "Right to Roam" in USA. Half the country is locked up by a few private landowners and no one can access millions of acres of empty land. Totally different situation than Scotland Norway Sweden Switzerland Austria etc etc. People seem OK with it, hardly a blip on anyone's radar, despite all the freedom and liberty talk. If you come from a place with Right to Roam it can be a bit boggling. Some states different than other states, in NH if private land not posted, you can access. It must also be posted correctly, with a sign every X feet. In other states, one sign over miles of property line can suffice.

Ski areas in USA have a lot more control over what you can/cannot do. So in @jyw5 instance, he's wondering if certain equipment is permissable in Europe assuming there's the potential to be tossed out. No one cares if you want to kill yourself on NNN gear in Europe, but be prepared to pay for the helicopter ride when you go off the unmarked cliff.

[jyw5]

What does this mean!

Forgive the dumb question, but we’re thinking about coming to the US/ Canada this winter, and I’m actually curious about what is and isn’t possible. Is there anything preventing you from stopping the car and slithering into a wild-looking valley in North America?

No "Right to Roam" in USA. Half the country is locked up by a few private landowners and no one can access millions of acres of empty land. Totally different situation than Scotland Norway Sweden Switzerland Austria etc etc. People seem OK with it, hardly a blip on anyone's radar, despite all the freedom and liberty talk. If you come from a place with Right to Roam it can be a bit boggling. Some states different than other states, in NH if private land not posted, you can access. It must also be posted correctly, with a sign every X feet. In other states, one sign over miles of property line can suffice.

Ski areas in USA have a lot more control over what you can/cannot do. So in @jyw5 instance, he's wondering if certain equipment is permissable in Europe assuming there's the potential to be tossed out. No one cares if you want to kill yourself on NNN gear in Europe, but be prepared to pay for the helicopter ride when you go off the unmarked cliff.

thanks for clarifying. i will definitely be careful. and will take a look at topo before i go blazing down the mountain. In the US, I have encountered many ski resorts that don't allow NNN BC and nordic gear. Its a real pain in the ass.

It would be great to pretend to ski like those guys in the Asnes video...just booming through light powder on a giant wide mountain. I get to do that here on rare occasions when the weather cooperates but have to skin up so it would be great to ride a lift and get thousands and thousands of meters of downhill in a short period of time.

[Musk Ox]

Aha... looks like Le P'tit Cliffé's loaners this winter then, heh.

@Woodserson @Fisheater... right on. It's clear that property laws means access is very different in the US and I was wondering what that means when it comes to actually getting into the car. OK... In practice, for a visitor, it means a bit of research/ skiing the national parks. Which could definitely be worse, given the incredible beauty of some of yours.

@jyw5, I think you should definitely consider Norway if you want a ride on a helicopter! We have a nice yellow one up where we are that's busy all winter picking up the fallen and dropping them off at the hospital. And it's totally free! We've often joked about pretending to have sprained something and getting a lift back to the car.

[fisheater]

@Musk Ox We have different types of Federal Lands in the States. National Parks are the most regulated. You will be looking for National Forest land which is quite extensive. Always look for State lands as well. I do more recreating on state land in my home state of Michigan than on Federal Land

[CwmRaider]

thanks for clarifying. i will definitely be careful. and will take a look at topo before i go blazing down the mountain. In the US, I have encountered many ski resorts that don't allow NNN BC and nordic gear. Its a real pain in the ass.

It would be great to pretend to ski like those guys in the Asnes video...just booming through light powder on a giant wide mountain. I get to do that here on rare occasions when the weather cooperates but have to skin up so it would be great to ride a lift and get thousands and thousands of meters of downhill in a short period of time.

I am not aware of any places that forbid using nordic equipment on slopes, but it may vary by country. I googled in French and could not find any info.
Regarding Norway at least, using AT or nordic gear is subject to the right to roam, and you are allowed climb also in alpine ski resorts for free, as long as you do not endanger the alpine users coming down. That means staying on the sides and avoiding bottle necks. I have taken NNN-BC gear on ski lifts (with a paid pass) numerous times and the lift operators made no comments.

@jyw5, I think you should definitely consider Norway if you want a ride on a helicopter! We have a nice yellow one up where we are that's busy all winter picking up the fallen and dropping them off at the hospital. And it's totally free! We've often joked about pretending to have sprained something and getting a lift back to the car.

Yes, in Norway the helicopter is considered to be a form of ambulance for remote places, and falls under the umbrella of the healthcare system. Which is mostly free except small contributions for each medical visit with an annual ceiling of 2460 NOK (288 USD). Not included is the dentist for adults.

In Switzerland I was a member of the REGA which is an airborne rescue agency. Membership was very cheap (also around 60 USD a year) and helicopter rescues are then free, as well as international repatriations back to Switzerland if the healthcare in switzerland is deemed significantly better than whatever place you are stuck in. I worked a bit in Venezuela so this was also a reassuring arrangement.

[Woodserson]

In Switzerland I was a member of the REGA which is an airborne rescue agency. Membership was very cheap (also around 60 USD a year) and helicopter rescues are then free, as well as international repatriations back to Switzerland if the healthcare in switzerland is deemed significantly better than whatever place you are stuck in. I worked a bit in Venezuela so this was also a reassuring arrangement.

Yes, I wonder if France has something similar? If not member of REGA, get out your wallet.

I had a US friend visiting me in Switzerland once who got really sick and the doctor's recommended repatriating back to the States. They literally told me, "call the States and have them send the jet." When I told them there would be no jet to take him home, that we had to buy airline tickets, their eyes almost fell out of their heads.

We ended up buying 3 business class seats with an EMT who came along to support the patient. Out of pocket.

The Swiss REGA jets that repatriate citizens from around the world: https://www.aviationtoday.com/2018/04/2 ... wiss-rega/

[dave52]

Preorders for 2022 Fischer boots are starting to crop up from NA retailers...
https://www.skiessentials.com/2022-fisc ... .html#520=

$270 not terrible, I wonder how tough these will be. I've never never owned Fischer boots, they seem to carry a reputation of wearing faster compared to other brands.

[RabbitEars]

Musk Ox,
In the United States private property rights rule. Within the past ten years had a case in the Michigan Supreme Court stating that the public has the right to walk along the high water line along the Great Lakes. However our history is much different than European history. The invention of barbed wire allowed homesteaders to fence their claims. Historic free range was no longer free. While in Michigan we have the right to traverse any navigable River, with navigable being defined as able to float logs (from the big logging days). I still contend with a guy, that owns 3 acres on a navigable river, that wants to give me problems about walking on his property to avoid a deep hole. He owns 3 acres in the middle of thousands of acres of National Forest! I have checked with the local Conservation Officer, and I am on legal ground, but private property prevails in the U.S.
Now the good news is that there is lots of public land, National and State lands. I know my State of Michigan is much more liberal than the Fed’s. I pay $10 to access all State land. However the Fed’s have 3 National Forests and a National Lakeshore I access. I’ll access from an out of the way location every chance I get rather than pay some of the fees they want. However when I’m traveling to a different State where I don’t know my way around, I pay all required Federal fees.
I’m not trying to scare you. If you park at a Federal trailhead, and they want a fee, there will be a kiosk where you drop an envelope with cash into a secure tube. I don’t know how people that buy a 12 pack with their credit card swing that!

@Fisheater the National Parks Pass covers all federal lands.

the $80 annual "pass covers entrance fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees (day use fees) at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A pass covers entrance, standard amenity fees and day use fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas (or up to four adults at sites that charge per person)."

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

[fisheater]

@RabbitEars Thank you, I was unaware of the adventure pass. For my Michigan adventures it probably would not be cost effective at $80, as I avoid Federal land when possible. However I will definitely purchase an Adventure Pass if I head East this winter, and consequently use some Federal land more in Michigan in 2022!